Wildlife Removal Before & After Photos

After spotting a groundhog run across his yard and go underneath the deck in the backyard, this customer in Green Brook Township, NJ called our Nuisance Wildlife Division for help.

After inspecting the back deck, we noticed an exposed area on both sides of the steps that the groundhog was using to harbor underneath the deck. There was also a wide gap on the side of the deck too. First, we installed Pest-Blok on the long side of the deck. Pest-Blok is sturdy material that undergoes a silicone-protected polyester coating process that makes it last longer and guards the area against groundhogs and all other nuisance wildlife. Next, we installed Dig Defense® around the entire deck except for one area. Afterward, we installed a heavy-duty retrieval device over the exposed opening and enclosed it with a portion of Dig Defense® in order to safely retrieve the groundhog.

We also placed a baited device nearby. Dig Defense® is a below-ground fence system that is 15 inches deep, 4 feet across, and protects structures against invasive nuisance wildlife and feral animals. Once we safely retrieve the groundhog, we will relocate it to a new, humane location and install another portion of Dig Defense® over the opening.

I was recently sent to a home in Edison, NJ for a Cowleys home protection plan (HPP) scheduled service. The homeowner had issues with rodents around the home and I found out why she was concerned.

In my inspection, I found an exterior rodent bait station by the shed that was completely depleted from the last service. The interior rodent bait stations in the garage and crawl space were also empty.

After completing the service around the home I rebaited all the existing bait stations. I then performed a thorough inspection around the house to determine how the rodents were entering the structure. I found a sizable gap around the piping where the gas line was passing through the foundation. To close up this access point, I used a copper mesh material which does not rust or disintegrate like steel wool. 

Since this customer's rodent pressure was so high. I added an additional large rodent bait station (LP) to the exterior of the home.

A couple in Manalapan, NJ had a major issue with foxes living underneath their deck. We were sent out, inspected the entire area, and set-up our devices to safely retrieve the fox family. Shortly after setting up trapping, the foxes were safely retrieved and we relocated them to a new, humane location.

Although the foxes were safely removed, that was only half the battle. The deck area was still vulnerable for future intrusions from foxes and other nuisance wildlife.

To fix this, we dug a trench around the entire perimeter of the deck area that was 1 ft deep and 1 ft out from the bottom of the deck and then installed hardware cloth. This creates a sturdy "L shaped" perimeter that the foxes (and other nuisance wildlife) are unable to dig through. 

Once we finished installing the hardware cloth, we installed lattice around the entire perimeter of the deck. Now the deck is not only protected from future intrusions from any nuisance wildlife, but it looks aesthetically pleasing as well. 

A homeowner in Jackson, NJ, contacted Cowleys after finding mouse droppings in their basement. Although most everyone uses their basement for storage, this particular home had a significant amount of “stuff.” It was filled with storage totes, furniture, and most everything else that families accumulate and rarely use that is then brought downstairs into what I like to call “the land of no return.” Cluttered basements have a major downside: they offer mice almost unlimited harborage areas. Mice thrive in locations where there is limited access due to clutter, especially when items are directly against the outside walls and no elevated off the ground. Ideally, homeowners should keep items 6” to a foot off the ground and 1-2 feet away from walls. These gaps allow for inspection access around the home’s interior perimeter. Mice have poor eyesight and rely on tactile sensation and the smells left by other mice. As such, they like to form travel lanes along the edges of walls. Along these travel lanes, you often find mouse droppings in corners where the mice rest.

I explained the relationship between basement storage issues and mice problems to the homeowners. I was happy to hear that they were going to listen to my advice by rearranging their storage items and clearing out what they were no longer using. The homeowners told me that this infestation and my advice had motivated them to do what they had been thinking about for awhile —having a garage sale and donating items to charity. Charitable donations of household items are not just a good deed and a tax write-off — it’s also a great way to keep your home clutter-free and remove harborage areas for rodents and other pests to hide and nest. 

In the meantime, I set up rodent bait stations around the basement perimeter and sealed up access holes around some incoming utility lines. This particular job is a great example of showing how pest control is a team effort with the pest control service and the homeowner. Working together is the key to preventing infestations and getting them resolved quickly when they occur.

A homeowner in Jackson, NJ contacted Cowleys because of a problem with burrowing groundhogs (woodchucks) digging away at his home’s foundation around the inside corners of the house. For homeowners, these ground squirrels are one of the most damaging pests that can invade your yard. They not only wreak havoc on your lawn from their burrowing activity, as this homeowner found out the hard way, they can damage your home’s foundation if their burrowing activity is adjacent to your home. 

As you can see in the photo, the foundation has a brick overhang. Often, we are able to deal with groundhog infestations with  “Dig Defence,” an underground fencing system made of heavy galvanized steel. We frequently recommend this product since it does not degrade underground. Also, because Dig Defence is a trenchless system, it is relatively easy to install for experienced installers. However, in the wildlife control business, we must deal with the situation we are given, and find those solutions that will work for those situations. When it comes to wildlife, it’s never one size fits all. Here, because of the overhang, we could not install this type of fencing. So, we had to do this the old-fashioned way.

For this groundhog problem, I first wanted to do a trapping set-up. I was able to trap and relocate two groundhogs. While removing these two problem animals will help, I suspected that there were others, and trying to catch all of them would have been an exercise in futility. First, with all of the increased activities, these rodents are skittish and will shift their movement to avoid the traps. Also, this neighborhood was highly conducive to groundhog activity and I could see them thriving here. The entire neighborhood had strep banks with heavy cover, which is ideal for their burrowing activity. Also, there was plenty of food. Many of the neighboring homes had bird feeders and flowers providing them with virtually unlimited food sources.

After completing the trapping, it was time to do the heavy lifting. We pulled back off the rocks around the foundation where the animals were burrowing. Next, we had to dig out the dirt. With a trench dug out, we put in hardware cloth and secured it with masonry screws. This groundhog exclusion will not only work well, it matched up with the house and was aesthetically appealing. No doubt, there was one of our tougher groundhog exclusion jobs, but the end result was well worth it.